Frankie Bones | November 2015 Interview

Frankie Bones is truly a man of history. Having been responsible for founding the American Rave scene, this tough-as-nails purveyor of our culture has been on a nonstop quest to spread the message of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect for over 25 years. Whether it is through his incredible DJ sets, productions, events, record stores....you name it! The guy has had all bases covered, and no stone left unturned as even today he continues to work hard at reviving the old school party scene through his legendary STORM Raves, never forgetting the core values that started it all, and why this message is no less important today than it was in 1989 when he first started this.

To some, there is a disconnect as to how the Hip Hop, Techno and Electro Funk scenes were actually the same movement in many ways, expressed through different means, yet driven by the same core values: The need to come together under music and a movement that could change the world....no less! For years we have heard of New School Electro being to "Ravey" to the old school B-Boys, or Electro Funk too "retro" for the younger generations. Perhaps even that neither retained the intrinsic influence of the roots of Electronic music like Techno did. The truth is, it all stemmed from the same place, the same need if you will, and while it has blossomed into many flowers, the importance of realizing WHY it all began is something old schoolers and younger generations alike must once again embrace if we are to change the direction which it has all taken. So with that in mind, let's meet the boss of all bosses.

Technobass.net:Thanks for agreeing to do the interview Frankie, its an honor to have you spend some time with us to discuss not just highlights of your career, but also the recent efforts in trying to revive the old school party scene. For those perhaps unfamiliar, briefly tell us what inspired you to get involved in throwing parties back in the day, what was life like for you in New York during that time prior to the Rave scene?Frankie Bones: I started to DJ really young during the Disco era in the late 1970's. In 1977, Roller Disco became popular and I started skating at a rink called "Roll-A-Palace", which was a multi-million dollar complex with real DJ's and lights and sound. So from 10 years old I learned about programming and sets and BPM's and how to blend records. This was not something kids did in those days.
I was exploring a lot because I lived next to Freight Train tracks. Those tracks led to the subway, the subway took me to the rink and back and I could travel 5 or 10 miles without ever once crossing a street into traffic, so my parents were o.k. with that. This was an...Read more!